The morning in Reunion involved more rain
and taking a lovely walk by a very grouchy looking sea. Also worth mentioning for
potential travellers, the main St Denis bus stop (Gare Routiere) is right on
the sea in the middle of town. It was an easy 15mins walk from my hotel
(including some dawdling down the streets and to a local church) and if you
don’t have too much luggage (the footpaths are at times narrow and uneven)
definitely doable. Despite the rain, the view on the way to the airport was
quite nice, and I could almost imagine how beautiful the mountains would be on
a sunny day. I was also able to see a waterfall that must have been enormous to
see from such distance (some are reputedly a kilometre in height). A place to
return when I have more money.
But back to the main item of business,
MADAGASCAR! I knew I’d love this place the moment we began our descent. Two
hours flight west of Reunion, the clouds had long parted and the island’s
patchwork rice fields were clear below us, bathed in tropical sun. I’m still
jumping with excitement.
Antananarivo (or Tana for short) is the
islands main city and holds ~2million in a sprawling and dirty mess of streets.
Here and there are occasional boutiques and upmarket apartments, but the
majority of people seem to live in small, rundown units and do their daily
business out on the street. My first impression was how lively and colourful
everything is. People filled the streets; vendors, buses full of people, young
girls with produce on their heads. Even the goats and chickens were out and
about in the sunshine. I also noted how the only things that appeared new and
clean were the myriad of brightly coloured advertisements, billboards and
signposts, mostly for mobile phone companies.
The one bad thing I’ve met with so far is
how beggars target foreigners (it’s like there’s a bullseye on Arno’s
head). Of course there are beggars in
every city in the world, but here, they are often persistent to the point they
will follow and plead at you all the way down the street. This can be difficult
when you realise the average income in Tana is 40Euro a month. Yet it’s not
good for locals to become reliant on handouts and to see it as an acceptable
means of living. I’ve heard the suggestion to give out non monetary things (pens,
fruit, food, etc) as most beggars we encountered were children. However, I’ve
also heard that if you give one attention the rest will swarm you and
occasionally will rob you while the others hold your attention. Arno says he
gives every day, but not to the beggars, instead he supports the vendors and
working people by giving a little more than market price for his purchases. I
think it’s a practice I’ll adopt.
Other bits. 10Euro will get you a very
comfortable room (btw, the classic movie for the night is Michael Douglas’,
“Romancing the stone”). We are currently at the Moonlight Hotel (Arno found it
via his Lonely planet guide) and his room is basically a 4 star suite (28,000Ar
for his, 22,000 for mine). I once read somewhere that you can get a room in
Tana for 2Euro but to be safe, you should always go a minimum of 5. I will have
to investigate further.
“ Tana is one thing and the rest of
Madagascar another.” Tomorrow we head for the south. Can’t wait.
Tips for travellers:
ATMs are not hard to find in Tana; Arno had
a favourite bank located in a small and not too busy back street.
The current currency is Madagascan Ariary
(Ar), not to be confused with the old Franc (FMG) which is worth 5 times less.
Right now 1AUD is about 2000Ar and 10,000FMG
Preconfirm the price of things, esp taxi
fares and don’t be afraid to haggle if you want (at the airport I was
approached at least a dozen men with, “taxi madam?” so the competition for your
business is there). It’s about 20,000-25,000Ar to get from the airport to the
city centre by a reputable taxi.
Be fast on your feet and keep your wits
about you, especially in Tana. Pickpockets and bag thieves are everywhere.
Here, cars have priority on streets, so
don’t expect them to slow down or dodge you.
The majority of people in Tana know at
least a little French and if you’re lucky English. Even the little children
know “money please?”
Bring mosquito repellent and ask your
doctor about typhoid vaccines and malaria prophlyaxis before you come. If you
get put on dioxycycline, consider an extra strong sunscreen.
